Saturday, April 15, 2017

A Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Granada, Spain, has been
cleared of sex-abuse charges, in a case that saw Pope Francis intervene
on behalf of the priest’s accuser.

David Ramirez Castillo — originally identified only as “Daniel” — had
written to Pope Francis in 2014, complaining that he and other young men
had been molested by Father Roman Martinez and other priests when they
were teenagers.

The Pontiff responded by calling Ramirez Castillo to
express his sympathy and apologize for the abuse, and demanding a full
inquiry by the Granada archdiocese into the allegations about a
sex-abuse ring.

Ten priests were suspended from ministry during the
investigation.

But now a secular court in Spain has determined that the accusations
were unfounded.

The court ruled that testimony against Father Martinez
was “completely implausible,” and that several details of the complaint
by Ramirez Castillo had been proven false.